Remnants (PDF)

"REMNANTS"
a screenplay
by
Christian McDonald

REVISION - 12.27.09

Contact:
Cry Havoc Films!
345 E. 12th St. #12
New York, NY 10003
917.523.9128
remnantsmovie@gmail.com

"REMNANTS"
NOTE: The opening of this film is a SOUND COLLAGE of NEWS
BULLETINS that describe a series of world events unfolding at a
fast and confusing pace. The SCREEN IS BLACK (save for occasional
flashes of image) and will run about 3 minutes in the finished
film. Read the following fast and with deep Fear.
FADE IN:
1

1

OVER BLACKNESS
A CAPTION: “FIVE YEARS FROM NOW...”
The screen REMAINS BLACK. We hear, but do not see, save for the
OPENING CREDITS. Then: A NEWS BULLETIN SCREAMS OUT: “CNN,
breaking news!”
NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
(unaware he is on the air)
-- we used to say, “we interrupt this
program to” -- uh.... what’s -- ?
Go NOW!

ANGRY VOICE (V.O.)
NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
Oh - uh...
(goes into “broadcast mode”)
We have reports coming in from Israel that
Prime Minister Netanyahu has been
assassinated. These are preliminary -SCREECH & CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- increasing hostilities reported along
the Afghanistan / Pakistan border -NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
-- several thousand strong has breached
the Pakistani border, pouring in from
India -NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- we’re covering both stories LIVE from
the Fox News Desk!
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.)
-- are advancing upon greatly outnumbered
American troops in Western Afghanistan.

2.
NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- mass of troops is said to be comprised
of both Afghani and Pakistani soldiers,
numbering in the tens of thousands. The
Pentagon -Conflicts are crossing with each other, deepening confusion. The
NEWS ANCHORS speak quickly, voices fading in and out, a COLLAGE OF
WORDS AND NOISE.
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
-- are boxed in and fighting fiercely.
Ron Dietrich is embedded with the 10th
Mountain Division and is with us now via
camera phone -We hear REPEATING GUNFIRE and CHAOS as a NEWS REPORTER screams
over the noise, trying to be heard.
REPORTER A (V.O.)
Casualties are mounting in a scene that
was not supposed to happen -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.)
-- reports of a possible military coup in
Pakistan -GUN SHOT TO:
A NEWS CONFERENCE - cameras SNAPPING, papers SHUFFLING, and the
voice of the PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON.
REPORTER (V.O.)
(screaming out)
Al Jazeera has broadcast the alleged
decapitation of the Prime Minister! Has
the -PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON (V.O.)
We cannot and will not confirm reports
that Prime Minister Soomro has been
executed -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- amassing in the Kashmir region of -NEWS ANCHOR F (V.O.)
-- exploding inside the Dome of the Rock --

3.
NEWS ANCHOR D (V.O.)
-- Beijing has confirmed a mobilization of
forces to protect its Western border -AND THEN: the SCREEN FLASHES UP IN A WHITE BURST, accompanied by a
DEEP BASS THUMP, then FADING DOWN TO BLACK.
NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
(after a BEAT)
We have received an unsubstantiated - and
I repeat - an unsubstantiated broadcast
from Al Jazeera TV, that reports -(PAUSE)
I’m being told that we are going live to
our Al Jazeera feed and will do our best
to translate.
The FAST CHATTER of an ARABIC ANCHORMAN as the CNN TRANSLATOR
attempts to keep up.
TRANSLATOR (V.O.)
-- call for Jihad, for that... is what
is... just. The - this transgression...
against all of Allah -NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
This is Cliff again, and I am being told
that we are going back to the Pentagon!
Once again, we hear a NEWS CONFERENCE - cameras SNAPPING, papers
SHUFFLING, and the voice of the Pentagon Spokesman.
PENTAGON SPOKESPERSON (V.O.)
-- at 11:53 AM, American forces air-burst
a tactical nuclear device over advancing
terrorist troops in the province of -The press corps responds with a ROAR of SHOUTED QUESTIONS and
CAMERA FLASHES.
AT THIS POINT: news reports become increasingly faster and more
chaotic. We hear METALLIC SHRIEKS, CHAOS.
AGAIN, the SCREEN FLASHES UP IN A WHITE BURST, accompanied by a
DEEP BASS THUMP, then FADING DOWN TO BLACK.
NEWS ANCHOR E (V.O.)
-- can confirm a nuclear explosion in the
city of New Delhi, India -(noise and clutter)
-- leaving what must be (voice faltering)
-- hundreds of thousands who must be dead NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
-- while the Japanese Prime Minister
demands that Beijing --

4.
SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT (V.O.)
-- a ten megaton explosion in a densely
populated mega-city like New Delhi would
undoubtedly cause the almost-instantaneous
death of -Across the planet, confusion and Fear has taken hold.
SCREECH & CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR F (V.O.)
-- are pouring into the Golan Heights from
Lebanon, in response to the attack on
Beirut where the assassination of the
Israeli Prime Minister was believed to -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.)
-- have apparently retaliated with strikes
upon Lahore and Karachi. The Pentagon has
confirmed that three nuclear warheads have
been detonated above Islamabad, and -NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
-- repeated seismic shocks in New Delhi -NEWS ANCHOR D (V.O.)
-- Turkish troops pouring over the
Northern border of the new Kurdistan -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS PUNDIT A (V.O.)
India and Pakistan are unloading their
weapons in fear. Everything is happening
so quickly that India must be unsure of
what is happening and who to retaliate
against!
NEWS ANCHOR E (V.O.)
-- with a joint statement from Beijing and
Moscow, demanding that America withdraw
its submarines from the Yellow Sea -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR E (V.O.)
-- is reporting live via satellite phone
from twenty miles outside of New Delhi -The news cuts to a phone report. In the background, SIRENS and
SCREAMS. The Reporter is WEEPING AND HYPERVENTILATING.
REPORTER B (V.O.)
Oh my God, please Jesus... my arm! Can
anyone - ? Please, my wife - please --

5.
REPORTER C (V.O.)
-- the heat here is... ah, incredible!
(grunts in pain)
-- the cloud, maybe two miles at the base?
FLASH CUT TO:
STOCK IMAGE OF THE FLOOR OF THE U.N., DELEGATES SCURRYING
NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- world leaders call for restraint as
nuclear explosions riddle the Asian
continent -BACK TO BLACKNESS:
AGAIN: the SCREEN FLASHES UP IN A WHITE BURST, accompanied by a
DEEP BASS THUMP, FADING DOWN TO BLACK. This REPEATS THREE TIMES
in STEADY SUCCESSION.
NEWS ANCHOR F (V.O.)
-- repeated reports of likely nuclear -NEWS PUNDIT B (V.O.)
-- that India, in their confusion or haste
after the destruction of New Delhi, has
launched upon both Pakistan and China NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.)
In an attempt to “cover the spread,” as it
were.
Yes!

Exactly!

NEWS PUNDIT B (V.O.)
And --

NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- we can now report at least three
explosions in the metropolitan area of
Tehran, Iran -Violently, the SCREEN FLASHES UP IN A WHITE BURST, accompanied by
a DEEP BASS THUMP, FADING DOWN TO BLACK - it continues to do so
REPEATEDLY, GAINING INTENSITY AND SPEED.
SCREECH & CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
-- reports of detonations in Japan and
Taiwan -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.)
(ominously)
Tel-Aviv is gone. Iranian missiles -We hear AIR-RAID SIRENS.

6.
NEWS ANCHOR D (V.O.)
-- can now officially confirm that a mass
evacuation has been ordered in New York
and Washington. The Holland Tunnel has -More and more countries are blindly retaliating as they are
launched upon.
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR F (V.O.)
Israel has confirmed that they have
launched nuclear warheads against Saudi
Arabia and Iran. In a statement: “Israel
reserves the right to defend herself from
those who seek to --”
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR B (V.O.)
-- explosions can now be confirmed in the
former Soviet state of the Ukraine, and
the Chechnyan region of -SCREECH & CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR F (V.O.)
-- email reports from Moscow claim airraid sirens have -We are BOMBARDED with a loud ROARING SHRIEK. AGAIN: the SCREEN
FLASHES UP IN A WHITE BURST, accompanied by a DEEP BASS THUMP,
FADING DOWN TO BLACK - this happens 4 times in random succession.
A madness has taken over. Countries are unsure of who is
attacking them and are retaliating against everyone.
We hear CHATTER and ANGRY SHOUTS in the background as broadcast
staff scurry about, trying to keep control of information.
THROUGHOUT ALL OF THIS: the screen is BLACK, with only the sounds
of OVERLAPPING NEWS REPORTS to guide us. People are SCREAMING,
CRYING, DIVING FOR COVER.
THEN: the OPENING TONE OF THE EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM. (”This
is not a test. The emergency alert system...”)
NEWS PUNDIT A (V.O.)
-- possibly Russia or China -NEWS PUNDIT C (V.O.)
North Korea has been suspected of this
capability, Andrew! One could assume -SCREECH & CHANNEL CHANGE TO:

7.
NEWS ANCHOR G (V.O.)
-- have lost communication with the West
Coast of the United States.
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
We hear A SCUFFLE - a fight between a technician and a newscaster.
TECHNICIAN (V.O.)
No! NO! Fuck you! Can’t you see it?!
We’re fucked! We’re dead!

St-Stop!

NEWS ANCHOR A (V.O.)
(choking sound)
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR E (V.O.)
-- reports the President is in the air
aboard Air Force One, and the terror alert
level has been raised to level RED SEVERE!
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
We hear HORNS HONKING, a TRAFFIC JAM.
REPORTER D (V.O.)
I’m here on I-70, west of St. Louis, the
highway clogged with motorists evacuating
the city. It’s at a stand-still, with A GUN-SHOT RINGS OUT.
REPORTER D (V.O.)
Someone - someone is shooting!
PEOPLE SCREAMING & SCURRYING.
CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
A FLASH-CUT (stock footage) of citizens looting stores.
NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.)
-- reports that stores are being looted in
cities across America.
BACK TO BLACKNESS:
NEWS ANCHOR C (V.O.) (CONT’D)
-- huge fire raging in midtown Chicago.
At last count, the world death toll is
estimated in the hundreds of millions.

8.
NEWS ANCHOR D (V.O.)
-- can confirm that the CNN broadcast from
Atlanta has gone down. We go now to -CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
We see the QUICK FLASH of the Secretary of Defense, speaking
behind the Pentagon podium.
BACK TO BLACKNESS:
SEC. OF DEFENSE (V.O.)
-- we must show restraint! Please report
to the Homeland Security website for -SCREAMING VOICE (V.O.)
(interrupting; had enough)
Fuck you! Fuck YOU!
The sound of a SCUFFLE and SHOUTS OF ANGER from the press corps.
SCREAMING VOICE (V.O.)
We’re gonna die! Can’t you see that?!
SCREECH & CHANNEL CHANGE TO:
NEWS ANCHOR E (V.O.)
Why are we even fucking reporting?! Stay
calm? It’s easy for that son of a bitch
to say stay calm! He's 30 miles under
some mountain in Virginia!
AGAIN: the SCREEN FLASHES UP IN A WHITE BURST, accompanied by a
DEEP BASS THUMP, then FADING DOWN TO BLACK - this REPEATS AGAIN
AND AGAIN, SPEEDING UP, like a crazy techno song. The NOISE and
CHAOS is BUILDING.
FINALLY, we
FADE UP:
2

EXT. A RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - SUNSET
After this period in the darkness being bombarded with audio
madness, the sight of something real and stable is a huge relief.
The setting sun is beautiful, the sky a gorgeous wash of orange
and purple. CRICKETS CHIRP in the twilight.
CAPTION: “SOMEWHERE IN NORTHEAST TEXAS”
A young man named HUNTER stands by the side of a gravel road, a
backpack slung over his shoulder. He is wearing headphones,
listening to a News Reporter SCREAMING about the chaos unfolding
around the planet.

2

9.
Hunter is in his early thirties. He scans the horizon. He is
calm, but clearly aware something bad is about to happen. He
looks to the South, then the North, waiting.
A TRUCK is approaching on the gravel road behind him. Hunter
glances at it quickly, but continues to give most of his attention
to the radio.
THEN: his radio GOES TO STATIC. Hunter shakes it, then scans for
another channel. He finds an Evangelist SCREAMING.
EVANGELIST (V.O.; ON RADIO)
-- rode a pale horse - and Hell followed
with him.
The radio DIES - just a CLICK, then SILENCE. The engine of the
approaching truck STALLS and it rolls to a halt ten feet behind
Hunter.
A nuclear weapon has been detonated somewhere nearby, creating an
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) - killing all electronic equipment
within a 20-mile radius.
Hunter’s eyes WIDEN - he knows what is about to happen.
TO THE GROUND and covers his head.

He LEAPS

THEN: A SOLEMN and HOLLOW sound RINGS OUT.
The horizon RIPS OPEN with an ENORMOUS NUCLEAR EXPLOSION. A FLASH
OF LIGHT and an UNHOLY SCREECH. A MUSHROOM CLOUD fills the sky
like the angry fist of God striking the Earth.
ANGLE ON - THE TRUCK
A Teen-Age Girl staggers out, dragging an 11-year-old Boy by the
hand. His name is SATCHEL, her name is JENNIFER.
Satchel screams as another EXPLOSION goes off to the South. He
covers his face - he was looking straight at the detonation and is
BLINDED by the blast.
Hunter leaps to his feet and rushes to Jennifer and Satchel. He
throws them to the ground under the truck as we hear more
EXPLOSIONS - FLASHES OF LIGHT, sounds like ANIMALS DYING, and an
ANGRY ROAR.
HUNTER
(into Jennifer’s ear)
Don’t look at it.
We go to a LONG SHOT - The truck at the side of the road, the
three figures huddled on the ground, and the horizon filled with
three NUCLEAR MUSHROOM CLOUDS. And the RUMBLE AND ROAR.
CUT TO:

10.
3

3

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - MONTAGE
Farmhouses, banks of trees, horses and cattle in fields.
The sun is setting, and we are at magic hour. BIRDS LEAP INTO THE
AIR FROM TREES in unison, sensing that something very bad has just
happened.
CUT TO:

4

INT. FARM EQUIPMENT SHED - NIGHT
SILENCE and BLACKNESS. Then THE DARKNESS PARTS with a GRINDING
ROAR. We are in an EQUIPMENT SHED, and the door has been thrown
open by Hunter. In the dim light, we can make out various farm
equipment, and an aged truck. Tools line the walls.
Hunter steps in, then turns back to Jennifer and Satchel.
Come on.

HUNTER
Hunter ILLUMINATES the shed with a flashlight, looking. Satchel
stumbles behind him, blind from the nuclear flash. Hunter stops
and steadies the boy. He takes off his shirt, rips off one of the
sleeves, and wraps it around Satchel’s eyes.
HUNTER
Don’t try to look at things... it’ll just
hurt your eyes.
SATCHEL
What are we doing here?
HUNTER
We need to find a diesel truck. We have
to get some things, and we can’t do that
on foot. We only have an hour before the
radiation really starts coming in.
SATCHEL
What about our truck?
HUNTER
(tired of questions)
That’s - I’m sorry, that’s not diesel.
When those things went off, it sent out an
electromagnetic pulse that fried
everything electrical. Your truck won’t
work anymore. Only diesel engines will.
Jennifer is by the door, weeping.
SATCHEL
It can do that?

4

11.
HUNTER
Yeah, it can do that.
Hunter leans over, looking at the engine of a truck that looks to
be forty years old.
HUNTER (CONT’D)
I hope there’s gas in this.
Hunter throws open the door of the truck. He presses the
flashlight into Satchel’s hand and aims it for him.
HUNTER
Hold this steady.
Okay.

SATCHEL
Hunter slides onto the floor of the truck cab, under the wheel.
HUNTER
(trying to be nicer)
What’s your name, kid.
Satchel.

SATCHEL
Hunter cuts and strips the ignition wires with a pocket knife.
HUNTER
Fuck... There’s no key...
He SPARKS THEM TOGETHER, hot-wiring the ancient truck. The ENGINE
turns and catches. He flips into the seat and leaps from the cab.
SATCHEL
What are you going to do?
HUNTER
Get your sister in the truck!
Hunter runs to the edge of the shed and throws two shovels into
the bed of the truck. He jumps behind the wheel.
Hunter REVS THE ENGINE, making sure it does not die.
boy Satchel leads his weeping sister into the cab.
COME ON!

The blind

HUNTER
Satchel SLAMS the door shut, and Hunter PEELS OUT of the shed.
5

INT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - ROAD - TRUCK CAB - NIGHT - SLIGHTLY LATER
The truck is SCREAMING DOWN THE GRAVEL ROAD, Hunter with a steely
grip on the wheel and his gaze on the road ahead.

5

12.
Jennifer has calmed down a bit. Satchel is excited by the sounds
he is hearing, the bandana still around his eyes.
JENNIFER
(weeping)
What - what happened?
Hunter ignores her.

She asks again.

HUNTER
(PAUSE)
There was a war. Okay? Now the war is
over. So we have to survive. Do you
understand?
Jennifer nods, trying to hold it together.
brother’s hand.
Okay...

JENNIFER
HUNTER
We’re going to survive.
listen to me.
Alright...

She takes her

You just have to

JENNIFER
Hunter ACCELERATES THE TRUCK and they drive on in darkness.
A6

A6

ANGLE ON - EXT. COUNTRYSIDE - THE ROAD AHEAD OF THEM
ILLUMINATED BY THE HEADLIGHTS: a YOUNG MAN at an approaching
intersection, waving his arms above his head, flagging them down.
He is standing at the entrance to a gas station parking lot.

5

5

BACK TO - INSIDE TRUCK CAB
SATCHEL
(lifting blindfold, blinking)
I still can’t see. Is that normal?
HUNTER
(watching the man on the road)
You’ll be alright.
Hunter SLOWS THE TRUCK TO A STOP and leaps out.

6

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
The Young Man is bleeding from the mouth, HIS JAW BROKEN.
the night clerk of a convenience store.
Like a doctor, Hunter examines his jaw.

He is

6

13.
NIGHT CLERK
(in shock)
Please - please -You work here?

HUNTER
NIGHT CLERK
These three guys - they took the till, hit
me with a tire iron!
HUNTER
Go back into the store.
Hunter leaps into the truck and guides it into the parking lot.
He puts the truck in neutral, leaps out, opens the passenger door,
and pulls Jennifer out by her hand, dragging her into the store.
HUNTER
(calmly to Jennifer)
We need bottled water, tuna, peanut
butter, beef jerky - anything high in
protein. No junk food or empty calories.
Just throw it into the back of the truck.
(yelling after her)
And any kind of batteries! And baby
wipes! Get baby wipes!
Satchel tries to follow his sister.
HUNTER
(ordering)
Back in the truck, kid!
NIGHT CLERK
(sobbing)
Please, what happened? ... What were those
things?
HUNTER
Can you help us?
7

INT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - CONVENIENCE STORE - NIGHT - SLIGHTLY
LATER
Hunter leads the Night Clerk into the store, illuminating the
darkness with his flashlight.
NIGHT CLERK
It looked like the sun exploded!
HUNTER
What’s your name?
Russ.

NIGHT CLERK

7

14.
Hunter maneuvers the Clerk back outside the store.
8

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT CONTINUOUS

8

HUNTER
Russ, where do you live?
NIGHT CLERK
My girlfriend and I have a trailer in
Ashton, about a mile from here.
HUNTER
Russ, you need to get back home to your
girlfriend. Run back if you have to.
NIGHT CLERK
I don’t want to die alone. That’s what’s
happening, right? We’re all going to die?
HUNTER
(BEAT)
You’re not going to die. Just get home,
okay? Your girlfriend is scared and she’s
waiting for you. If you can find a
basement, stay there... you’ll be safer
underground. Do you understand?
Hunter waits for him to nod. Then he pushes, then KICKS the Night
Clerk, yelling for him to go. The Clerk turns and sprints off
across a field, heading Home.
9

INT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - CONVENIENCE STORE - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
Hunter rushes in and leaps over the counter, tossing anything even
remotely medicinal into a plastic bag - Bandages, Advil,
flashlights, rubbing alcohol, etc. He PAUSES, then grabs several
CARTONS OF CIGARETTES.
Jennifer is filling a shopping basket with Hunter’s wish-list of
canned food and baby wipes.
Hunter leaps back over the counter and runs out to the truck,
tossing the bag into the bed.
Hunter runs back in and takes a box of food and water from a
weeping Jennifer. He rushes outside and deposits it in the truck.
Hunter runs back in and grabs Jennifer by the shoulders. He
points to a display of bottled water, about ten levels high and 24
bottles in each level.
HUNTER
Keep taking those out to the truck, one at
a time.

9

15.
Hunter picks up a box of bottled water and hands it to her.
nods, then goes.

She

Free from overseeing her, Hunter takes a look around, then
overturns a display and snatches up an empty box.
First, Hunter runs to the battery display and scoops in an armful,
as well as about fifteen cheap flashlights.
Then he heads to canned goods, grabbing all the beans and tuna.
Then he grabs all of the peanut butter, some canned peaches, corn,
then several cans of fruit jam.
The box is full, so he runs outside to the truck to deposit it.
WE STAY INSIDE, and soon he is back, with a new empty box.
Hunter stops and thinks, then throws in five boxes of crackers,
cans of sardines, chili, soups, and anything high-protein. He
shakes his head in disgust, then throws in a shelf of Spam. He
rushes back outside with the box.
10

10

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT CONTINUOUS
He throws the heavy box into the back of the truck, then helps
Jennifer lift a box of bottled water.
HUNTER
Get back into the truck.
Hunter rushes back into the store and quickly returns with two
boxes of bottled water. He repeats this three more times.

11

11

INT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - CONVENIENCE STORE - CONTINUOUS
While running back for the last of the water, Hunter HALTS, his
eyes freezing on a row of CAR BATTERIES.
Hunter holds for a moment, then snatches up three of them.
rushes back outside as we

He
CUT TO:

12

INT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - COUNTRY ROAD - TRUCK CAB - LATER
Hunter is booking the truck down the road. Jennifer shivers in
fear. The highway is ghostly, devoid of cars.
HUNTER
(to Satchel; fed up)
Do something for her.
Satchel leans in and whispers to her.

12

16.
SATCHEL
(largely inaudible)
-- come on, Jen -- Okay? -- we have to -A12

A12

ANGLE ON - A STALLED CAR ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER AHEAD
A WOMAN is flagging her hands above her head, urging them to stop.
FLARES sit on the blacktop in front of her.

12

12

BACK TO INSIDE TRUCK CAB
HUNTER MUTTERS, “SHIT,” AND SLAMS ON THE BRAKES. HE THROWS OPEN
THE DOOR BEFORE THE TRUCK COMES TO A STOP AND RUSHES OUT.

13

13

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - COUNTRY ROAD - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
The woman’s name is ELIZABETH - she is blonde and serious.
seems to understand what has happened.

She

HUNTER
Where were you headed?
Waco.

ELIZABETH
My car won’t start.

HUNTER
(hesitant, but can’t leave her here)
You better get in. It’s crowded, but you
can put the boy on your lap.
Okay.

ELIZABETH
They hurry back to the truck.
HUNTER
How many did you see go off?
ELIZABETH
There were two in the East, probably the
Dyess Air base in Abilene. One to the
North, farther away... I think Oklahoma
City... a whole row of big ones to the
South, by Dallas and Fort-Worth.
Hunter releases a long exhale of disappointment as Elizabeth
tosses her travel bag into the bed of the truck.
ELIZABETH
They finally did it, didn’t they?
Hunter nods and lights a cigarette.

They enter the truck.
CUT TO:

17.
14

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - COUNTRY ROAD / HOUSE - NIGHT - LATER

14

They are driving down a gravel road. Hunter sees an old COUNTRY
HOUSE and pulls the truck to a stop in the driveway.
Hunter looks to Elizabeth, then steps out.
HUNTER
We have to find a basement.
THEN: the PUMP of a SHOTGUN and a VOICE rings out:
STOP NOW, BOY!

VOICE (O.S.)
Hunter puts his hands in the air.
HUNTER
Hey, hold on -A GUN BLAST RINGS OUT, grazing Hunter’s right shoulder, TEARING
OFF the fabric of his shirt and SPLATTERING the screen.
Hunter REELS BACK, clutching his shoulder. He staggers back to
the truck as the man who shot him cries out in Fear and regret.
Elizabeth leaps behind the wheel as Hunter throws himself into the
truck-bed.
She PEELS THE TRUCK OUT of the gravel driveway in reverse.
shifts the truck into gear and takes off.
15

She
15

INT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - COUNTRY ROAD - TRUCK CAB - NIGHT CONTINUOUS
Elizabeth is FLOORING IT. She pushes the truck as far as it will
go, DRIVING. Jennifer is holding Satchel, frightened. Hunter is
in the back, clutching his bleeding shoulder. He POUNDS on the
glass behind her.

Hey!

HUNTER
(from the bed)
ELIZABETH
I know what you’re looking for!
Hunter nods.

He trusts her.

He slumps into the truck-bed as Elizabeth ACCELERATES the truck.
He pulls off his t-shirt and wraps it around his wounded shoulder.
CUT TO:

18.
16

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - FARMHOUSE DRIVEWAY / EXTERIOR - NIGHT
With an OMINOUS MUSIC QUE, the truck pulls into a gravel driveway
and STOPS before an old FARMHOUSE. The engine HUMS for a moment
before the driver’s door opens. Elizabeth jumps out and runs to
the bed to talk to Hunter.
They converse quietly, then she helps him from the truck.
Hunter, bare-chested with only the make-shift bandage around his
shoulder, cautiously approaches the house.
ANGLE ON - FRONT DOOR
Hunter adjusts his wounded shoulder, then KNOCKS.
He KNOCKS again and waits.

No response.

No response.

Hunter motions for Elizabeth to move the truck as close to the
house as she can, and she does.
Hunter KNOCKS a final time.

No answer.

He opens the door to enter.

THEN:

Yeah?

VOICE (O.S.; FROM INSIDE)
(tentative; young)
We see a tentative SILHOUETTE behind the rusty screen-door.
Hello?

Yeah?

HUNTER
VOICE (O.S.; FROM INSIDE)
(PAUSE)
STOMPING FEET APPROACH. THROUGH THE SCREEN-DOOR we see the
SILHOUETTE OF A FIGURE RUSHING FORWARD, pushing past the nervous
Young Man in the doorway.
The door SLAMS OPEN, HITTING Hunter in the face and knocking him
down. Elizabeth rushes forward.
Hey!

ELIZABETH
The FIGURE IN THE DOORWAY is holding a large gun.
Get out.

FIGURE
HUNTER
(on the ground; clutching his mouth)
I’m a goddamn doctor!

16

19.
The Figure COCKS the gun.
in the door.

Hunter LEAPS UP, LUNGING at the Figure

Hunter wrestles him to ground, trying to wrench the gun from his
hand. The GUN FIRES, SPLINTERING the top of the door-frame.
The Young Man steps back, shaking in fear.
The Man With the Gun is prone on the ground, Hunter above him,
pinning his arms with his knees. Hunter PUNCHES him in the face.
Then he PUNCHES him again. Then AGAIN.
HUNTER
I’m getting pretty fucking tired of being
shot at.
FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE: a WOMAN SCREAMS.
forward to break up the fight.

The Young Man rushes

YOUNG MAN
He said he was a doctor!
HUNTER
(to Man With Gun)
We’ve got food. We’ve got our own food
and a lot of water. We just need a place
to stay. I’m a doctor and I can help you.

Brad!

WOMAN (O.S.)
(SCREAMING; verge of tears)
Just let him in!

Yeah, man!

YOUNG MAN
They’ve got food!

Hunter snatches the Man’s gun, then lets him up.
BRAD
We’ve got water! There’s a well outside!
HUNTER
You don’t want to be drinking that.
be irradiated soon.

It’ll

BRAD is a pig of a man, about 35. He has a goatee, and looks as
if he would consider beating his wife to be his Christian duty.
The Young Man STEPS INTO THE LIGHT. Seeing him clearly for the
first time, he’s little more than a boy - a pimply-faced 17-yearold weighing about 110 pounds. He looks like he has spent his
whole life cruising the internet and playing “World of Warcraft.”
His name is JONATHAN. He helps Brad to his feet.
JONATHAN
I don’t know, man... he seems to know what
he’s talking about.

20.
Hunter appraises them, then points to Jonathan.
HUNTER
We’ve got a sick kid in the truck. Take
him and his sister downstairs. You have a
cellar, right?
JONATHAN
That’s been where we’ve been staying since
the nukes went off.
HUNTER
Get them down there and make sure they
stay.
Hunter runs to the side of the house to the storm entrance of the
cellar - wooden swinging doors that lead down into the basement.
HUNTER
(catching his breath; to Elizabeth)
There are shovels in the truck. We have
to cover this with dirt. Can you do that?
Elizabeth nods.

Hunter runs back to the entrance of the house.

HUNTER
(pointing to Brad)
You! Start carrying everything in the
back of the truck into the cellar.
Brad hesitates, then does what he’s been told, although he clearly
does not like it.
The Woman is now standing in the doorway. For the first time we
see she is pregnant. About seven months, just starting to show.
HUNTER
(to the Woman)
What’s your name?
Angie.

ANGIE
HUNTER
Angie, I need you to search the bathrooms
and grab all of the towels and clothes and
toilet paper you see, take them
downstairs. Can you do that?
ANGIE
(nodding vigorously)
Yes, yes -- I understand... I’ll grab
everything!
Behind Hunter, Jonathan guides a blind Satchel into the house.
Satchel clutches his weeping sister’s hand.

21.
Hunter adjusts his wounded shoulder. It is bleeding heavier now,
the make-shift bandage now crimson red.
HUNTER
(yelling after Jonathan)
We need more shovels!
CUT TO:
17

EXT. RURAL COUNTRYSIDE - FARMHOUSE EXTERIOR - NIGHT - LATER
Elizabeth, Hunter, Jonathan, and Brad are shoveling dirt out of
wheel-barrows, burying the entrance to the storm cellar and the
basement windows. Hunter is straining in pain, but soldiering on.
ELIZABETH
Whose house is this?
JONATHAN
It’s my grandpa and grandma’s.
ELIZABETH
Where are they?
JONATHAN
Grandpa has leukemia... he’s in Dallas at
the hospital... Grandma’s with him. I
guess they’re dead now.
BRAD
They’re definitely dead.
HUNTER
(plants his shovel in the ground)
Stop being a fucking asshole and dig.
Brad laughs, throws down his shovel, and walks into the house.
ELIZABETH
(to Jonathan)
So who’s the moron?
JONATHAN
(shakes his head)
He’s our neighbor. He’s my gym teacher at
school. They don’t have a cellar. Not a
lot of people around here do.
Hunter plunges his shovel into the ground.
HUNTER
Bury it a little more, bring the rest of
the food from the truck, then come into
the cellar.
(starts to walk away; turns)
And bring the shovels.

17

22.
18

18

INT. FARMHOUSE - UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - NIGHT - SLIGHTLY LATER
Angie is digging through the cabinet under the sink. We HEAR
HUNTER CLIMBING THE STAIRS, then he enters. He is nauseous.
Angie, right?

HUNTER
ANGIE
I got all the towels!
are anymore up here!

I don’t think there

Angie looks at Hunter, holding her stomach. She doesn’t want to
appear afraid for her baby, but it is obvious she wants him to say
something.
HUNTER
So how far along are you?
ANGIE
Si-Six months... a little more than 6
months... like eleven days more, so -Hunter nods that he understands, trying to calm her. He grabs a
garbage can, opens the medicine cabinet, and throws everything
inside, occasionally looking at the labels.
CLOSE-UP - A BOTTLE OF PILLS IN HIS HAND
The label reads: “AMOXICILLIN”
Good.

HUNTER (O.S.)
CLOSE-UP - ANOTHER BOTTLE
The label reads: “VICODIN”
Hunter empties the cabinet, then hands the garbage can to Angie.
HUNTER
Give these to the blonde woman that came
with me. The calm one.
She nods and departs.
Hunter makes sure she is gone, then drops his head and VOMITS INTO
THE SINK. He catches his breath, then yells down the stairs:
HUNTER
Make sure everybody is downstairs!
Hunter dry-heaves, then clutches his head. He lifts himself up
and unwraps the make-shift bandage around his shoulder.
CUT TO:

23.
19

19

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
DARK, illuminated only by FLASHLIGHTS.
JONATHAN
Is he okay?
He’s fine.

Jonathan is looking up.

ELIZABETH
Is that everything?

BRAD
(impatient)
The truck is empty!
Elizabeth looks at Brad.

She does not like him.
CUT TO:

20

20

INT. FARMHOUSE - UPSTAIRS BATHROOM - NIGHT - SLIGHTLY LATER
We are ANGLED ON THE MIRRORED IMAGE OF HUNTER as he plucks
buckshot from his shoulder with a razor-blade and tweezers.
breathing is erratic and his eyes are red.

His

He grabs a bottle of alcohol and dumps it on his shoulder. He
winces, gritting his teeth. He tears the lid from a tube of
antibiotic ointment with his teeth and slathers it on the wound.
CUT TO:
21

INT. FARMHOUSE - GRANDPARENTS’ BEDROOM - SLIGHTLY LATER
Hunter walks in, shirtless with his shoulder freshly bandaged.
This is Jonathan’s grandparents’s bedroom. The bed is immaculate,
covered with a white afghan blanket. He strips the sheets from
the bed for later use.
Hunter stops at a picture on the nightstand of an elderly couple Jonathan’s grandparents - then THROWS THE CLOSET DOOR OPEN. He
scans the closet, then grabs a worn and aged baseball jersey for a
Minor League team named the Pflugerville Phantoms. He puts it on
and continues to rummage.
THEN: From the closet, a SHOTGUN falls to the ground.
halts, staring at it.

Hunter

CLOSE-UP - CABINET DRAWER
as it is PULLED OPEN. HUNTER’S HAND roots around inside, pushing
away socks and underwear. It comes out with a loaded .22 PISTOL.
Hunter pushes the gun into his back pocket, next to the pistol he
took from Brad.
He opens another drawer, and finds THREE BOXES OF SHOTGUN SHELLS.

21

24.
HUNTER
Thank God we’re in Texas.
He pulls out a drawer, empties the contents onto the floor, and
throws in the shotgun shells.
Hunter opens another drawer and finds more bullets.
drawer they go.

Into the

Then he finds a LUGAR 9MM PISTOL. He stares at it for a moment,
then continues to rummage through the room as we
CUT TO:
22

22

INT. FARMHOUSE - THE KITCHEN - NIGHT - SLIGHTLY LATER
At the end of the kitchen there is a door to a small alcove room,
where there is a second door leading down to the cellar. Hunter
is carrying three shotguns and the bureau drawer full of ammo and
pistols. He STOPS.
Hunter puts the bureau drawer on the counter, thinks, then opens
the silverware drawer.
He places the Lugar inside and covers it with an oven-mit.
shuts the drawer.

He

Then he LOADS ONE OF THE SHOTGUNS WITH FIVE SHELLS. He perches it
inside of the broom closet and covers it with a coat.
Hunter picks up the remaining shotguns and the drawer of ammo and
crosses into the alcove. He shuts and locks the door to the
kitchen, then opens the door to the cellar.
23

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS
The cellar is dark, LIT BY SEVERAL CANDLES. It was obviously the
domain of the man of the house, and by the looks of things, he was
quite a pack-rat. It is full of tools and junk and boxes.
On one side of the cellar, there is a ping-pong table. At the
other, an old workbench riddled with tools. Scattered throughout
the cellar, there is a folded-up cot, two mouse-worn Easy Chairs,
and the looted food and water from the general store.
Hunter descends the stairs. Brad is cleaning his fingernails with
a screwdriver, and doesn’t look happy to see him.
Hunter stops in his tracks. Sitting in a ragged La-Z-Boy recliner
directly in front of him is a SMILING & GRIZZLED MAN OF 74. His
name is WENDELL, and a cane sits beside his chair. Hunter stares
at him. This is the last thing he wanted to see.
JONATHAN
(getting up to help Hunter)
Oh, that’s my grand-uncle Wendell!
(MORE)

23

25.
JONATHAN (cont'd)
We couldn’t afford a home for him, after
the VA cuts.
WENDELL
Pleased ta meet ya, Doc!
JONATHAN
(whispers to Hunter)
Listen, Doc... he’s diabetic.
insulin, but --

He’s got

HUNTER
(doesn’t mean it)
Don’t worry about it.
ELIZABETH
We got all the food and water down.
HUNTER
(to Jonathan)
I saw a lot of old kerosene lamps up
there. We need to bring all of them
downstairs, and any kerosene you have.
JONATHAN
Gramma’s into that antique shit. We have
to be careful not to damage them, tho.
Brad rolls his eyes.

Angie seems fed up with her husband.

Hunter hands a shotgun to Elizabeth and keeps the other. Hunter
places the bureau shelf on the cot next to Satchel, and whispers
something into his ear. Satchel nods.
BRAD
Am I gonna get a gun?
pistol, remember?

You still have my

HUNTER
Don’t worry, I’ve still got it.
BRAD
(laughs)
Do I get a fucking gun, or not?
HUNTER
(doesn’t like Brad at all)
I’ll tell you what... you go a week
without shooting at me again, and I’ll
think about it.
CUT TO:
24

24

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
CLOSE-UP of a CAR BATTERY as jumper-cable clamps are attached.
ELECTRIC CRACKLE, and a FLICKER OF LIGHT.

An

26.
The Survivors have rigged a primitive lighting network. It
doesn’t provide much light, but it’s better than candles and
kerosene lamps.
WENDELL
Well that’s real nice. It’s good to be
able to see everybody’s faces!
HUNTER
We only have three car batteries, so we
have to conserve.
ANGIE
How long do we have to stay down here?
Jonathan descends the stairs with two kerosene lamps.
BRAD
(lying down; a rag over his eyes)
We’re never coming out.
HUNTER
(PAUSES; wants to hit Brad)
At least a month.
Brad laughs. Jonathan and Angie don’t like the answer. Elizabeth
is trying to be constructive, tending to Satchel’s eyes.
HUNTER (CONT’D)
Depends on how widespread all of this is.
The blast radiation isn’t good, but the
fall-out is a bigger problem.
Fall-out?

SATCHEL
HUNTER
When a nuclear bomb goes off, it sucks
dirt and debris into the air. It comes
back down like snow. It’s really
radioactive and it’s a particulate... you
breathe it in.
Angie looks afraid to breathe.

She holds her pregnant stomach.

BRAD
So you’re telling me we can’t even fucking
breathe?
Shut up.

ELIZABETH
JONATHAN
I was watching Fox News and talking to my
best friend Barry over IM from Minnesota
when all of this started, and it sounded
like it was pretty widespread.
(MORE)

27.
JONATHAN (cont'd)
I knew about that magno-pulse thing, so I
put my MP3 player in the safe so I’d at
least have music.
ELIZABETH
(semi-sarcastic)
That’s thinking ahead.
JONATHAN
(a little defensive)
I brought food down here, too...
HUNTER
I know these things went off all over Asia
and North America. A lot in Europe too.
But I don’t know how widespread the
radiation is.
ELIZABETH
I saw at least five of them go off.
HUNTER
But there’s no way of knowing how many
megatons the bombs were, the winddirection at the time of blast -JONATHAN
I think there’s a shortwave down here...
Maybe we could find out some of these
things on it? It might be broken, tho.
Alright.

HUNTER
Hunter lights a cigarette and starts to examine some of the
various junk and debris lining the shelves of the cellar. He
stops on a row of WW2-era Army ammunition boxes.
JONATHAN
Grandpa is a pretty big military
collector. I’m not sure what he has in
there... he wouldn’t ever let me mess with
the stuff...
WENDELL
You’ll find some damn good stuff in there!
My brother is smart! He’s a war hero,
fought in the Deuce - and Korea!
HUNTER
(exasperated sigh)
First thing fucking first. Make sure you
have all of the kerosene lamps -- candles,
whatever the Christ you think we might be
able to use, OK? And bring down as many
books as you can. And more clothes.
(MORE)

28.
HUNTER (cont'd)
(PAUSE; adding)
And take Brad with you.
25

25

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
CLOSE-UP of Hunter’s hands as he struggles to open a WW2-era
ammunition box. He doesn’t understand the mechanics of it.
Hunter is finally able to pry it open. Inside are spent rifle
casings. Completely worthless. Hunter is visibly annoyed.
DOZENS OF SIMILAR AMMUNITION BOXES line shelves on the walls.
WENDELL
Them’s empty M-1 carbeen shells.
brother’s gonna re-fill ‘em!

My

Behind Hunter, Jonathan descends the stairs with another kerosene
lamp, an electric lamp, and a gallon jug of kerosene. Brad
follows him with more kerosene and a large garbage pail.
JONATHAN
He was in the war. He has tons of that
WW2 shit. He’s a bit of a gun nut.
Hunter nods. He saw the arsenal upstairs. He opens another ammo
box and FREEZES, staring inside. It contains a yellow rectangular
device and various other separate components.
HUNTER
Start nailing the cellar doors shut. And
if you have any tape, seal up the cracks.
26

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
Brad and Jonathan are boarding shut the cellar door. Hunter has
almost finished assembling the device in the ammo box. The back
is open, and he is loading it with C-batteries from the stash they
looted at the convenience store.
He finishes, closes the back, and turns it on.
The cellar fills with the FAST CLICKS OF A GEIGER COUNTER.
Jennifer is immediately frightened by the sound. Wendell seems to
recognize the sound, and actually rises to his feet.
ELIZABETH
(after a listening moment)
What is that?
HUNTER
It’s a Geiger counter. It measures
radiation. Jonathan’s grandpa must have
had one from his days in Korea.
JENNIFER
(absolute certainty)
God put it here for us.

26

29.
Everyone does their best to ignore Jennifer.
stairs with a hammer.

Brad descends the

BRAD
It’s boarded tight.
Hunter SHUSHES him. Brad scoffs in annoyance, then rejoins his
wife. Hunter fiddles with the Geiger Counter’s dials.
I have to pee!

ANGIE
HUNTER
(raises hand for silence)
Hold on...
Long PAUSE.

The GEIGER COUNTER CLICKS are SPEEDING UP.
The fallout.

HUNTER
Everyone slowly LOOKS UP as the Geiger Counter clicks GROW IN
INTENSITY. The radiation level is INCREASING.
CUT TO:
27

27

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
CLOSE-UP of Hunter’s hands pouring kerosene into a 20-gallon
rubber garbage can.
Jonathan is hanging a shower curtain in the corner of the
basement, in front of Hunter.
Angie has to take a leak.

She is hopping up and down.

HUNTER
(to Angie)
Go in, go in...
Angie rushes into the makeshift bathroom. Jonathan pulls the
curtain shut. Soon, we hear her urinating into the can.
BRAD
What the fuck are you thinking?!
my wife piss in a garbage can!

Making

JONATHAN
Come on, Mr. Franklins... we can’t go
upstairs.
HUNTER
In case you haven’t noticed, Professor
Hawkins, we don’t have a toilet. This is
the best we can do. Kerosene is less
dense than water or urine or shit, so it’s
always going to stay at the top.

30.
ELIZABETH
It’ll be like a protective layer.
WENDELL
I’ve crapped in worse.
HUNTER
It isn’t pretty, but it’s only thing I can
think of that’s even halfway sanitary.
BRAD
I’m not shitting in that thing!
SATCHEL
What else are you going to do, then?
in the corner?

Poop

HUNTER
Hold it, then.
(to Angie)
Make sure you put the lid back on when
you’re done.
Fine.

Of course!

ANGIE (O.S.; BEHIND THE CURTAIN)
CUT TO:
28

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
Everyone has settled in for the long wait. Jonathan is fiddling
with his old Game Boy. It has been fried by the EMP, but he is
under the delusion he can fix it. He has removed the back and is
examining the wires and microchips.
HUNTER
That’s a lost cause, Jonathan.
Angie is asleep, leaning against her husband as he reads a copy of
a pirate-themed romance novel. He is trying to ignore everyone.
Elizabeth is re-bandaging Satchel’s eyes, with clean white
bandages.
HUNTER
If you want to fix something, maybe you
should try to fix that ham radio of your
granddad’s you were telling me about.
It’s built with vacuum tubes, so it should
have survived the EMP.
Okay.

JONATHAN
Elizabeth sits down next to Hunter.

28

31.
ELIZABETH
(whispering)
Is he going to be okay? I mean, is his
vision ever going to come back?
Hunter casts his gaze over to Satchel. He is sitting across the
cellar, attempting to snooze against his sister, who is reading
The Bible with rapt attention.
HUNTER
(whispering)
I doubt it. His retinas are too badly
burned. He was looking right at it.
ELIZABETH
Do you think we should tell him?
asking.

He was

Hunter has no answers, and walks over to check on Angie.
Elizabeth stares off into space.
WENDELL
(from out of the blue)
I see you’ve noticed my rodeo trophies!
Hmm?

ELIZABETH
Oh... yes... there very nice.

WENDELL
Twelve years on the Texas and National
Circuit! Helluva a lot of fun, but it
sure put a lot of wear and tear on the ol’
hip and joints!
Elizabeth smiles politely. It’s clear that Wendell was probably
nearing death before the bombs, but he is also succumbing to
radiation sickness and dementia faster than the other Survivors.
WENDELL
Aw, I can’t complain.

Life’ll kill ya.

ANGLE ON - THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CELLAR
BRAD
(sarcastically; not looking up from book)
So Doc! What brings you around these
parts? Awful young for an M.D., ain’t ya?
HUNTER
I was finishing my residency at New York
University Medical Center.
BRAD
New York, huh? What brings you down to
Texas? I see the backpack, you on
walkabout, or something?

32.
HUNTER
Something like that.
FROM OUTSIDE, we hear an ANIMAL CRYING OUT.
What was that?
29

Everyone FREEZES.

SATCHEL
INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
Elizabeth and Angie are lighting candles and lamps. Hunter UNCLAMPS the car battery and the lighting array GOES DARK. The
cellar is cast in an EERIE GLOW of multiple flickering flames.
HUNTER
We should each drink a bottle of water,
and then get some sleep. Cover yourself
as much as you can.
Brad opens his mouth, but before he can say anything:
ANGIE
Brad, please... can we just go to sleep?
I don’t feel very well.
Brad looks at Angie like he wants to take her down a peg or two.
He grabs his book and pouts in the corner. His wife covers her
head and attempts to sleep.
Satchel and Jennifer huddle together under a blanket. Hunter and
Elizabeth join Jonathan at the end of the cellar where he is at
the workbench, operating on the short-wave radio with a soldering
iron.
HUNTER
Wow, man. Looks like you’re good with
this sort of thing.
JONATHAN
(smiles for the first time)
Thanks... you know... I like electronic
things...
HUNTER
You should get to sleep and finish it
tomorrow.
JONATHAN
Everything but the little speaker works,
but you can use my earphones. And I still
haven’t found the microphone.
HUNTER
That’s fine, I’m just going to listen
tonight. Come on, man... go to bed, and
work on all that tomorrow.

29

33.
Jonathan gets up. Hunter stops him. Angie is tearing the
bedsheets into strips for future use as bandages.
HUNTER
(whispering; gestures to Brad and Angie)
Should I be worried about those two?
JONATHAN
I don’t know. They’ve been having a lot
of problems. She’ll come over here to
talk to grandma, and she’ll be crying.
Jonathan crosses to Wendell. Elizabeth is tucking him in for the
night in his La-Z-Boy, cocooning him in afghan quilts.
WENDELL
Thank ya, honey.
JONATHAN
You gonna be okay, Gran’ Unc?
WENDELL
(as if he didn’t hear him; closing his eyes)
I sure hope my brother’s okay out there.
Aw, he’ll by fine! He’s a war hero!
Jonathan chokes up.

He knows his grandparents are dead.

WENDELL (CONT’D)
You shoulda seen yer Granpa, Jonathan.
He’s the reason I volunteered for...
Korea... that was a different war...
(having trouble speaking)
... not that I’m... one of them... John
Kerry types...
Jonathan departs to his sleeping bag, holding back tears.
ELIZABETH
Brad’s going to be a problem.
Hunter notices that the glass window above the workbench isn’t
completely covered with dirt. There is a 2-inch sliver at the
very top where you can see into the outside world.
HUNTER
(largely to himself)
Shit. We didn’t get this window
completely buried. I’m going to go up
there and -ELIZABETH
If you go out there, I’m coming with you.
Hunter sighs, understanding her point. He plugs the earbuds into
the shortwave and starts to fiddle with the dials, finding only
STATIC. Elizabeth sits down on the floor next to him.

34.
Without looking at her, he hands one of the earbuds to Elizabeth.
They listen in the dark.
Just STATIC as he flips through the channels. Finally, they hear
a disjointed ENGLISH VOICE, like an electronic phantom.
ENGLISH VOICE (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
-- we are the hollow men, we are the
stuffed men, leaning together, headpiece
filled with straw -Hunter and Elizabeth exchange a look of trepidation, and then the
signal DISAPPEARS. Hunter CLICKS AROUND and finds it again.
ENGLISH VOICE (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
-- rats' feet over broken glass, in our
dry cellar, shape without form, shade
without -Hunter is suitably creeped out and CLICKS TO ANOTHER CHANNEL.
hear the voice of a TIRED SOUTHERN MAN.

We

SOUTHERN VOICE (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
-- Shenandoah, Oklahoma. Is anyone out
there?
(SILENCE, STATIC and CLICKS)
This is Shenandoah, Oklahoma... is anyone
out there?
We PULL BACK as Hunter and Elizabeth continue to listen by
candlelight. The others sleep, and the Man on the Radio continues
to REPEAT HIS QUESTION.
CUT TO:
30

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - THE NEXT MORNING
Hunter is hunched over the desk, asleep in front of the shortwave. Jonathan sits at the woodworking bench across from him,
keeping an eye on Hunter, almost waiting for him to wake up.
Hunter stirs awake. He rises and adjusts his stiff neck. He
seems surprised, as if something is different. He rubs his hands
together, as if there is a chill in the air, as he looks outside
through the little open slit in the window above the workbench.
Outside, it is GRAY AND ASHEN.
Elizabeth is asleep on the floor beside the desk. Jonathan has
crossed over to Hunter, glad to have him back with them. Wendell
is still in the armchair, an afghan blanket tight around his
chest, and his face motionless.

30

35.
Satchel and Jennifer are attempting to tidy up the cellar.
Jennifer has calmed down a bit, but is still in a largely mute
state. Satchel is still blind as a bat, feeling his way around
and stumbling in the darkness.
Brad is washing his face with a baby-wipe. He cleans under his
shirt, scrubbing away at his armpit, and then cleans his crotch.
Angie is sipping water beside him, staring off into space.
Hunter furrows his brow and checks his watch.
HUNTER
Can you turn the overhead on, Jonathan?
Jonathan re-attaches the car battery to the lighting array, and
its queer artificial light and FLUORESCENT HUM fills the room.
HUNTER
Does anybody have the time?
JONATHAN
(checks his watch)
It’s a little after 11 AM.
Shit.

HUNTER
That’s what I have, too.

BRAD
What do you mean, “shit?”
HUNTER
It’s almost completely dark outside.
Brad jumps up.
BRAD
What are you talking about?
noon!

It’s almost

HUNTER
Look for yourself.
Hunter gestures to the window.
through the slit.

Brad cranes his neck, staring out

BRAD
That can’t be right.
JENNIFER
It’s the end of the world.
BRAD
You shut the fuck up! I’ve got a pregnant
wife here, and she doesn’t need to hear
that Left Behind shit!

36.
SATCHEL
(to Brad)
Don’t talk to her that way!
HUNTER
ENOUGH! We’re not going to get anywhere
if we start the day like this!
Hunter shoots Brad a look and crosses to Wendell.
Hey, doc.

WENDELL
HUNTER
How you doing, Wendell?
alright?

You doing

He looks pale, and very tired.
WENDELL
Naw, I’m fine! A little tired from all of
this excitement, but I can’t complain.
Hunter nods. It’s clear that in some ways, Hunter views Wendell
as the canary in the coal mine. How long he lasts will give him
his first indication of how bad the radiation is.
Hunter joins Jonathan, who is sitting on the floor in front of an
old iron safe. The safe is open, and Jonathan is sorting through
a batch of electronic items that were inside.
Hey.

HUNTER
Did you put the lights on?

JONATHAN
Yeah, is that okay? I wanted to organize
some stuff.
HUNTER
No, that’s okay... Just try to pace it
out... I don’t know how long those
batteries will last.
JONATHAN
Okay, I’m sorry.
HUNTER
No, I don’t mean...
Hunter examines Jonathan. The boy looks somewhat defeated, and
there is a slight tremor in his hands. He is not in the state
that Jennifer is in, but he still doesn’t look good.
HUNTER
What do you got there?

37.
JONATHAN
When all of this started, I was talking to
my best friend Barry over IM from
Minnesota, and he told me about that
magnetic pulse thing. He said I might be
able to save some of my stuff if I
shielded it in a metal safe, or something.
HUNTER
I don’t know, Jonathan... maybe if it was
lead.
JONATHAN
Well this radio still works...
Jonathan holds up a portable radio that looks to be 30 years old.
He TURNS IT ON and gives Hunter a taste of STATIC. Hunter is
pleased, but before he can thank him, Jonathan prepares to show
him something else, grinning with embarrassed pride.
JONATHAN
Here’s the best part! I filled a coffee
can with a bunch of grandpa’s lead .38
rounds, and buried this in it!
Jonathan holds up an MP3 player and turns it on to demonstrate it
still works.
HUNTER
Well, that will... probably help you pass
the time...
Hunter takes the portable radio, more impressed with that.
ANGLE ON - OTHER SIDE OF THE CELLAR
where Brad, Angie, Satchel, and Jennifer are talking.
BRAD
We don’t even know what’s going on! Why
is it dark in the middle of the day?
This part of Texas, and it’s 55 degrees?
SATCHEL
Hunter knows what he’s doing, I -BRAD
I’m telling you, the government has
probably got something set up! This is
stupid, cooping ourselves up down here!
ELIZABETH
(joining them)
There isn’t a government anymore!

38.
Angie is running her hands through her hair. Silent, but inside
she is a legion of worry. She is sweating slightly, looking like
a menopausal woman during a hot-flash. She hopes no one notices.
ELIZABETH (CONT’D)
So many of those things have gone off that
you can’t even see the sun, Brad!
BRAD
There’s always a government! And what
about the war? I don’t know about you,
but I want to know who won! Somebody did
this to us, and I want to know what we’re
doing about ‘em!
ELIZABETH
I don’t even care. Hunter and I were on
the shortwave last night, and all we heard
were people in the exact same situation as
us. Nobody knows what’s going on.
BRAD
I want to know what the President has to
say about this! I want to find out if we
hit back at those fucks that did this to
us!
There is a LOUD SCREECH OF RADIO STATIC. Hunter is at the other
end of the cellar, tired of this debate. He is holding the radio,
and has turned up the volume to get everyone’s attention.
HUNTER
We’re not going to find anything out by
yelling at each other.
SATCHEL
Is that a radio? Do we have a radio?
BRAD
How come you didn’t tell us you had a
radio?!
Hunter rolls his eyes and runs through the dial, looking for
something more than static. Finally, he finds one lone signal.
WOMAN’S VOICE repeating the same message:
RADIO ANNOUNCER (O.S.)
(from the RADIO)
-- indoors until further instructions.
This is the Emergency Alert System. Local
and national civil defense authorities
will provide information as it becomes
available. Please remain indoors and
preferably underground until further
instructions. This is the Emergency --

A

39.
The MESSAGE REPEATS.
CUT TO:
31

31

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - AFTERNOON - LATER
Brad has found an old Louisville Slugger, and is carving words
into the handle with a pocketknife. So far, he has “PEAC,” and is
now working on an “E.”
JONATHAN
(manic)
Hunter! The short-wave is done! I mean,
you can talk on it now, too! And the
speaker works!
Jonathan strides swiftly away from the workbench, to the other end
of the cellar. Like a camper, he is heating up a couple of cans
of Campbell’s chili over a flaming can of camper’s oil, STIRRING
FURIOUSLY before rushing off again.
JENNIFER
(to Brad; referring to baseball bat)
What is that?
BRAD
(holding up baseball bat)
This is the peace-maker!
(sneezes)
That fucker won’t give me a gun, I’m
taking it into my own hands.
ANGLE ON - WENDELL
Jonathan is giving Wendell a shot of insulin.
spreads across the old man’s face.

A look of relief

JONATHAN
You okay, gran’ unc?
Wendell strokes Jonathan’s hand.
WENDELL
I’m doing great.
(short of breath; smiles)
Do you remember those Astros games against
the Mets I took ya to last year? New York
bastards!
Yeah...

JONATHAN
WENDELL
Those were fun, those were -(difficulty breathing)
Hunter is taking Wendell’s pulse.

40.
HUNTER
(to Jonathan)
He’s okay.
(to Wendell)
So you’re an Astros fan, huh, Wendell?
team is the Royals.
Wendell winces at Hunter’s admission, then laughs.
off.

My
Jonathan runs

HUNTER
Yeah, I know. But the good thing about
rooting for the worst team in baseball is
that the only direction you can go is up.
WENDELL
(laughs)
You’re pretty right there, Doc.
HUNTER
Jonathan is cooking some chili for us.
You hold on tight here, and we’ll be
chowin’ down soon.
Wendell nods, smiling but vacant.
ANGLE ON - JONATHAN
as he vigorously stirs the chili, smiling broadly to himself.
JONATHAN
All right! I maybe used too much pepper,
but this is going to be good!
He douses the burning can of Sterno and starts scooping the chili
into ironstone bowls. Elizabeth helps Wendell from his chair. It
is obvious he is in great pain is he makes the short stroll to the
table, particularly in his hip. He does it best to hide it.
Mmmm!

WENDELL
Them’s good eatin’!

ANGLE ON - HUNTER AT THE SHORT-WAVE RADIO
as he tunes in a channel.
HUNTER
I want to find those fellas in Shenandoah.
ELIZABETH
Hunter, come on. It’s okay.
Hunter looks at everyone. They are eager to eat, waiting for him.
He recognizes this as maybe their first moment to exist as some
kind of a family. He nods to Elizabeth, turns off the short-wave,
and sits.

41.
Jonathan is CLICKING THROUGH SONGS on his MP3 player.
JONATHAN
I’ve been wanting - looking forward to, uh
- wanting to play this song.
MUSIC starts to play from the little speaker network that Jonathan
has constructed for his rescued MP3 player. The music is FEY AND
FOLKY, not something you would initially expect Jonathan to be a
fan of.
BRAD
What the fuck are we wasting the battery
on music for?

Shut up.

JENNIFER
(sucked in by the music)
PAUSE, as they listen.
HUNTER
(smiling)
This isn’t the kind of music I expected
you would like, Jonathan.
It’s pretty.

SATCHEL
ELIZABETH
(BEAT)
I think I’ve heard this on the Austin
college station. It’s beautiful.
Jonathan gives an embarrassed laugh and steals a look at
Elizabeth.
WENDELL
Wow, we even got crackers?!
(looks around)
Would anyone mind if I say Grace?
Hunter gives a smiling chuckle.

He likes this old man.

HUNTER
No, Wendell, we’d like that.
WENDELL
(smiles)
I don’t have my Bible here, but I think I
can remember it.
Everyone bows their heads, as Wendell struggles to remember.
WENDELL
“Rejoice oh young man, in thy youth, and
let - “

42.
Wendell COUGHS VIOLENTLY.
already eating.

Elizabeth steadies him.

Brad is

WENDELL
Sorry, guys. Confused... I know it’s from
Ecclesiastes, what I want to say...
(struggling to remember)
Right!
(nodding to Satchel)
I know what I want to say!
(back to saying Grace)
“To everything there is a season, and a
time to every purpose under heaven. A
time to be born, and a time to die. A
time to plant (struggling with words; out of breath)
- and a time to... pick up? -- pluck up,
that which was planted. A time to - “
Wendell stops, wheezing for air.
THEN: BLOOD TRICKLES DOWN FROM HIS NOSE IN A HEAVY STREAM.
Elizabeth rises and puts a napkin to his nose, trying to keep him
from noticing that he is bleeding. Angie twirls a napkin in her
hands, mumbling, exploding on the inside.
ELIZABETH
That was beautiful, Wendell...
Wendell fixes himself onto Elizabeth’s face, then nods to her.
smiles, embarrassed.
Elizabeth.
something.

He

HUNTER
Try to get him to eat

Everyone in the cellar starts to eat, as if Hunter was speaking to
them. Jonathan is crying.
CUT TO:
32

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - NIGHT - LATER
Hunter stands by the short-wave radio, smoking a cigarette.
Elizabeth sits by the workbench, reading “Watership Down.”
Everyone else is trying to sleep.
ANGIE
(peeking out from her sleeping bag)
Can I have one?
ELIZABETH
I’d like one, too.
Hunter gives them cigarettes.
as well, without asking.

Brad grabs a smoke from the pack,

32

43.
Jonathan strides by, heading to the make-shift bathroom, clad only
in boxer shorts. He holds a copy of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Call of
Cthulu” and is rubbing his ample belly.
There is a CRACKLE from the SHORT-WAVE.
VOICE FROM SHENANDOAH (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
This is Shenandoah, Oklahoma, is anyone
out there?
Jennifer and Satchel awaken.
make-shift bathroom.

Jonathan peeks his head out of the

VOICE FROM SHENANDOAH (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
This is Shenandoah, Oklahoma... is anyone
out there?
Elizabeth covers her mouth and laughs.
He presses the TALK button.
HUNTER
This is Cameron, Texas.
and clear, Shenandoah.

Hunter smiles, then sits.

We read you loud

From the short-wave, we hear the LOUD CHEER OF SEVERAL VOICES.
Somewhere in a cellar in Oklahoma, there is a group of Survivors
just like them.
Jennifer smiles for the first time.
her hands on Hunter’s shoulders.

Elizabeth rises to listen,

VOICE FROM SHENANDOAH (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
Well hell, man! We didn’t think we’d ever
raise nobody! This is Shane Baxter, of
Baxter Motors in Shenandoah, Oklahoma!
How the hell you fellas doin’?!
HUNTER
(laughs)
We’re doing a lot better now.
SHANE (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
Well I got eleven people in my basement!
Good Christ - Well alright! What do you
fellas -The sound SLOWLY FADES DOWN.

We go to a

44.
SERIES OF CLOSE-UP SHOTS
Hunter, Elizabeth, Brad, Jennifer, Satchel, Wendell, and Angie smiling and excited as they listen to their new friends.
CUT TO:
33

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - THE NEXT MORNING
Hunter is tending to his shoulder. He has removed the bloody
bandage, and is cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide. He
lifts a small flap of dead skin and carefully clips it off with a
pair of cuticle scissors. The wound does not look good, as if
infection has started to set in.
Jennifer stares at him as he does all of this. Satchel is bored
and silent. He can’t even read because of his blindness.
Jonathan and Elizabeth are busy hanging a few strings of blue
Christmas lights to provide a low-energy ambient light-source for
the times they cannot run the florescent array. Wendell is in his
recliner, covered in blankets. It is clear he is dying.
Brad & Angie are focused on the government broadcast on the radio.
It broadcasts only SILENCE, with an occasional CHIRP, followed by:
CIVIL DEFENSE BROADCAST (O.S.)
(from the RADIO)
This is the Emergency Alert System. Local
authorities are coordinating with Federal
agencies, and will provide the most
updated medical information and evacuation
instructions at the top of the hour.
Citizens are advised to remain underground
until that time.
JONATHAN
Do you think it’s even worth listening?
They’ve been promising an update in an
hour for the past day.
BRAD
We’re gonna hear from them, they’re
probably just trying to figure out how to
move people to the evacuation bunkers.
(phlegmy cough)
ON THE RADIO: A CHIRP, then the MESSAGE REPEATS.
HUNTER
Jonathan, just a little longer on the
light, and then we need to conserve the
juice. We’re already on our second
battery. Only one more left after this.
Elizabeth is looking out the small opening in the window above the
workbench.

33

45.
It is no longer completely dark outside, but rather an ashen gray
haze, with the occasional shadow flicker from the swaying tree
branches.
ELIZABETH
There’s more light today.
right?

That’s good,

BRAD
Yeah, it’s all back to normal. Let’s go
outside in our bathing suits and play in
the sprinkler.
ANGIE
(barely audible)
Brad, not now...
Hunter has finished bandaging his shoulder. He winces in pain,
trying to mask it. He digs around in his backpack, pulls out a
bottle of antibiotics, and takes one.
Elizabeth is fuming at Brad, her mouth quivering and ready to
unload a torrent of obscenities. Hunter is looking at her in an
odd mix of genuine sympathy and fondness.
HUNTER
Turn off the radio, Jonathan.
Brad grunts in disagreement, but Jonathan turns it off. Brad
shakes his head and picks up a stack of old issues of “Weekly
World News.” He commences to read one, putting on a macho pouting
act.
Hunter rises, trying to catch his breath. He is shirt-less, the
white bandage cutting through the fluorescent flicker. He pulls
the plug from the car battery, KILLING THE LIGHTS. We go to
BLACKNESS
SATCHEL (IN THE DARKNESS)
(after a brief SILENCE)
Now you guys are just like me.
(laughs)
Then from upstairs, a KNOCK.
Hello?

VOICE (O.S.; FROM UPSTAIRS)
In the darkness: we hear STAMPEDING FEET & the STRIKE OF A MATCH.
ANGLE ON - JONATHAN’S FACE
illuminated by the match as he lights a candle.
Hello?

VOICE (O.S.; FROM UPSTAIRS)
Is anyone here?

46.
Someone tries to open the cellar door.
Hunter rises and gestures, “SHHHH,” to Jonathan.
pistol, and starts up the stairs.
THUMP! THUMP!
cellar.
Aw!
THUMP!

THUMP!

He produces a

Someone is trying to force their way into the
VOICE (O.S.; FROM UPSTAIRS)
Holy Jesus! Mother - mother of...
THUMP!

BRAD
(whispering up to Hunter)
Give me a gun!
Hunter gestures, “Quiet!” He presses the barrel of the gun
against the door. Brad grips his baseball bat firmly, standing in
protection in front of Angie, who is trying to take his hand.
SUDDENLY there is a LOUD POUNDING ON THE DOOR. Someone is working
on it with an ax. Jennifer SCREAMS and leaps up IN FEAR.

Hey!

HUNTER
(yelling through the door)
We’ve got a gun in here!

Jonathan flies into a rage, near hysterical tears.
ON THE DOOR continues. It’s close to giving way.

The AX ASSAULT

JONATHAN
Motherfucker! This is my GRANDPARENTS’
HOUSE! MOTHERFUCKER!

SHUT UP!

HUNTER
(to Jonathan)
The edge of an ax BURSTS THROUGH THE DOOR, making Hunter crane his
head back about 4 feet at high speed.
Hunter COCKS THE PISTOL and FIRES THROUGH THE DOOR.
From BEHIND THE DOOR: a GRUNT, and a BODY FALLING TO THE GROUND.
VOICE (O.S.; FROM UPSTAIRS)
Oh shit... I’m sorry... I’m sorry...
Jennifer is holding Satchel for dear life.
VOICE (O.S.; FROM UPSTAIRS) (CONT’D)
-- I’m sorry, Jonathan... I didn’t mean to
be a -Hunter shoots Jonathan a look.

47.

Hold on!

HUNTER
(yelling through the door)
Hunter STOMPS down the stairs.
HUNTER (CONT’D)
(to Jonathan)
Who is he?! He said your name?
he?!
I - I - dunno!

Who is

JONATHAN
I think - !

Hunter drags Jonathan up the stairs.
JONATHAN
(tentatively through the door)
Hello? -- Rob?
PAUSE.
Jonathan!
were -Christ.
Brad!

VOICE (O.S.; FROM UPSTAIRS)
I’m sorry! I didn’t know you
HUNTER

(YELLS downstairs)
Get a couple of hammers up here!

We hear Brad SHUFFLING FOR THE TOOLS, then he ascends the stairs.
JONATHAN
I’m sorry, Hunter... I didn’t know that -HUNTER
Just help me get the door un-boarded!
Brad and Hunter start prying the boards from the door.
34

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY - LATER
TIGHT ON a shivering man - he is 30-something and AfricanAmerican, and his name is ROB. His hair is balding in random
splotches, and his shoulders and arms are covered in bruises and
lesions. Hunter is holding Rob’s left wrist. It is bleeding from
a bullet wound.
JONATHAN
(shaking; verge of tears)
I’m sorry, Rob, I’m sorry!
HUNTER
Just get back and let me deal with him!

34

48.
BRAD
Who is this guy?!
ROB
I’m sorry I scared you - I’m sor HUNTER
Everybody STOP APOLOGIZING! You’re in
shock, Rob. Elizabeth! Get some blankets
over here!
Brad PUTS A FLASHLIGHT ONTO ROB’S FACE.
BRAD
(screaming into Jonathan’s face)
Who is this guy?!
Elizabeth throws some blankets over Rob.
clean the wound.

Hunter is trying to

JONATHAN
He’s the - he’s -Brad SLAPS him.

Hey!

JENNIFER
(jumping up)
No! You don’t hit!

Brad pushes Jennifer to the ground.
stomach.

You don’t -Angie is pacing, holding her

BRAD
(grabbing Jonathan by the collar)
WHO IS HE?!
JONATHAN
He’s my FRIEND! He runs the comic book
shop on Renford!
HUNTER
(suddenly SCREAMS LOUDLY)
Everybody SHUT THE FUCK UP!
(pushes Brad against the wall)
Just SHUT THE FUCK UP!
(turns back to Rob)
Are you listening to me, Rob? The bullet
went through your wrist, okay?
Rob nods, “OK.”
HUNTER (CONT’D)
That’s good. I won’t have to take it out.
We’re going to clean the wound and dress
it, okay Rob?

49.
ROB
(shaking and struggling violently)
They’re shooting -- they’re shooting
people in - they’re shooting -HUNTER
(SCREAMING to Jonathan)
Hold him down, Jonathan!
Jonathan holds Rob down by the shoulders.

Rob SCREAMS as we
CUT TO:

35

35

INT. FARMHOUSE - BASEMENT - DAY - LATER
Rob is unconscious and his wound has been bandaged. Hunter’s
hands are bloody and shaking and he is trying to wash them with a
baby-wipe. Elizabeth tries to steady him.
Hunter -

ELIZABETH
HUNTER
(whispering to her)
We didn’t - we didn’t make him wash off
before he came in - he’s got fall-out on
him, he’s covered in it -For the first time, Hunter looks genuinely scared.
THEN: The CRACKLE OF THE SHORT-WAVE.
turned it on.

A shaking Jennifer has just

JENNIFER
Maybe we could talk to Shenandoah... maybe
he could -FROM THE SHORT-WAVE: a RECORD SCRATCH SOUND.

Then STATIC.

Jennifer punches through the channels and finds the PHANTOM
CHANNEL with the STRANGE ENGLISH VOICE.
ENGLISH VOICE (O.S.)
(from the SHORT-WAVE)
-- the world ends - This is the way the
world ends - This is the way the world
ends -(BEAT)
Not with a bang, but a whimper.
Looks of dread all around.
Turn it off.

HUNTER